Runner dies from Bengay Poisoning.

NEW YORK (AP) -- A medical examiner blamed a 17-year-old track star's death on the use of too much muscle cream, the kind used to soothe aching legs after exercise.

Arielle Newman, a cross-country runner at Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island, died after her body absorbed high levels of methyl salicylate, an anti-inflammatory found in sports creams such as Bengay and Icy Hot, the New York City medical examiner said Friday.

The medical examiner's spokeswoman, Ellen Borakove, said the teen used "topical medication to excess." She said it was the first time that her office had reported a death from using a sports cream.

Newman, who garnered numerous track awards, died April 13. She had gone to a party the night before, then returned home and spent hours talking with her mother.

Methyl salicylate poisoning is unusual, and deaths from high levels of the chemical are rare.

"Chronic use is more dangerous than one-time use," Edward Arsura, chairman of medicine at Richmond University Medical Center, told the Staten Island Advance on Friday. "Exercise and heat can accentuate absorption."

Dr. Ronald Grelsamer, of Mount Sinai Medical Center, said Newman had a very abnormal amount of methyl salicylate in her body.

"She either lathered herself with it, or used way too much, or she used a normal amount and an abnormal percentage was absorbed into her body," he said.

Her mother, Alice Newman, said she still couldn't believe her daughter's death was caused by a sports cream.

"I am scrupulous about my children's health," she told the Advance. "I did not think an over-the-counter product could be unsafe."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

In pure form, even in small amounts (estimated 101 mg/kg body weight in adult humans [2]), methyl salicylate is toxic--especially when taken internally.

Heh, the news article already made it onto Wikipedia.

But you can get oil of wintergreen at grocery stores as an essential oil. It's meant for aromatherapy or in combination with another oil for massage. You put pure essential oils on your skin, you're going to be in trouble.

Oh, and how stupid is it for the mom to say something as daft as "I did not think an over-the-counter product could be unsafe."?

Duh - anything can be unsafe if you take too much of it.

Don't take her words that literally. Most likely she meant to say she never thought somebody could die from an over-the-counter ointment like bengay or icy-hot.

I mean, c'mon. We all know if we take a whole bottle of tylenol, we **** blood and die (or maybe not **** blood but die anyways). But how many here would have guessed you could die of bengay overuse? Did anybody here ever thought it possible to overuse bengay?

Something more must have transpired to that poor girl. She must have been lathered herself with it (and used wraps in the affected areas) everyday, for months, years.

RIP.

Hmmm, seriously, now I'm wondering whether to buy Absorbine for horses for muscular pain. And no, I'm not joking.

The street argument is retarded. BJJ is so much overkill for the street that its ridiculous. Unless you're the idiot that picks a fight with the high school wrestling team, barring knife or gun play, the opponent shouldn't make it past double leg + ground and pound - Osiris

I mean, c'mon. We all know if we take a whole bottle of tylenol, we **** blood and die (or maybe not **** blood but die anyways). But how many here would have guessed you could die of bengay overuse? Did anybody here ever thought it possible to overuse bengay?

You're right. Of course, the sad thing is that this is going to no doubt result in a huge lawsuit, followed by even more of those stupid "warning" notices on products. "Warning, Do Not Eat - on chemical barbecue starter blocks, Warning - do not drop fom the Eiffel Tower - on anvils, etc.

Something more must have transpired to that poor girl. She must have been lathered herself with it (and used wraps in the affected areas) everyday, for months, years.

RIP.

It is sad. I hope someone eventually posts more info on what she actually did. I suspect lots of people use this stuff everyday and are a little concerned about what consitutes "excessive" use.

Hmmm, seriously, now I'm wondering whether to buy Absorbine for horses for muscular pain. And no, I'm not joking.

Why don't you just find a hundred year old chinese guy and get him to teach you his secret formula for muscle rub using dandelions, cheerios, beer, mydol, and tabasco sauce?

Newman, who garnered numerous track awards, died April 13. She had gone to a party the night before, then returned home and spent hours talking with her mother.

Hmmm. I accept that someone could die from methyl salicylate, but any time someone dies after a party you have to consider other factors. Could she have been dehydrated from drinking or using rec drugs that aggravated the danger?

"She either lathered herself with it, or used way too much, or she used a normal amount and an abnormal percentage was absorbed into her body," he said.

And then I thought= party + lathering yourself with Bengay might = rolling. I remember back in college in the 90's people would use menthol-type rubs as a roll trick.

Gentlemen, exhibit A-

This is a trick that i just pulled outa my bung one night before a rave. So here we go.
Ice to Fire
You need some Bengay (or some sort of muscle relaxer like the cheap walgreens kind or what ever)
a vibrator for full affect (or a good massaging person)
2 helpers
vicks inhaler
one person who wants to have fun
(warning may wanna do this in a dark corner and lots of trust for the people doing this to you) . . . [instructions]
they will suddenly like jump up. when this occurs they are set for a nice long nite of dancen in fire. it feels so good going from freezing to blazen. and you just can not stop moving cause the more you move and sweet it gets hotter. and the hotter it gets i believe feels the best.
(these are my opions, just try a lil if you like go for a lot)
~liquid~6~x~

Your might say, "ironlurker, if she was using drugz wouldn't the m.e. have said they were the cause of death?"

A) not if the direct cause was her literally lathering herself with BenGay under the effect
B) water intoxication or, the opposite, dehydration could have been factors more then the amount of **** she used and whatever it was cut/mixed with

There's enough people, even small women, that use Bengay chronically enough that this would happen a lot more. I suspect it was an acute use, aggravated by other factors.

And, most importantly, I don't want to lose another supplement/sports aid because retarded high school kids kill themselves with it :blob8:, sorry :byewhore: